Beyond Lamaze: Socioeconomic Status and Women's Experiences with Childbirth Preparation

Abstract

The purposes of this study were to investigate the relationship between income and various types and levels of childbirth preparation utilized by women, and to examine the relationship between preparation and childbirth outcomes. Forty-five primiparous women recruited from health care facilities and childbirth preparation classes participated in this study. After the birth of their infants, participants completed scales that measured childbirth preparation, perceived control, satisfaction with childbirth experience, pain perception, and pain medication. Lower income women were less likely than higher income women to attend childbirth preparation classes and more likely to acquire information about childbirth from their mothers. The women experienced similar childbirth outcomes except that lower income women reported higher levels of pain during childbirth. Findings from this study challenge the assumptions that lower and higher income women experience different childbirth outcomes and that women who do not attend classes are “unprepared.” Implications for research and practice include a re-evaluation of the way childbirth education is conceptualized.